Paladin's Allies: Aika
by the Mirage Prismatic
Summary: Paladin Caurana can be strong but she's also mule-headed and stubborn. How many times will she have to be shot before Captain Cromwell's scolding gets into her head? My other Aika story has been added as the first chapter. Complete
1. Kobra Posion

_My last Aika story b/c I don't play the game anymore and I wrote this awhile ago. I'm not entirely satisfied with this but I give it a B. I decided to put this in my other Aika Posting and delete the original b/c I'm disliking the amount of stand-alone stories in my archive...  
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><p><em>Ah, the recklessness of an aitan paladin. Gives you a good reason to hate Kobras. Player Character Caurana, NPC Jexala, Dante and assorted characters. Pran talks to a Captain after her master is injured.<em>

**Planet of Arcan ruled by the Goddess Aika - **

**The Country of Feonir on the Sky Continent of Lakia**** - **

**Location: Amarkand's Halo of Ceron**

**Genre: Adventure/Friendship**

**Title: Kobra Posion  
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><p>Outside of his tent, dressed in full armour Captain Dante of the 8th Unit's 5th Company leaned back in his chair, carefully cleaning his long rifle with a faint smile on his lips. He was actually quite young compared to the other captains of the 8th Unit but he didn't mind. He had more fun than they ever did; they were all too uptight, especially Cromwell. How did that old turkey ever had the luck of having the young Aitan Caurana assigned to his outfit he'd never know.<p>

Speaking of the young Aitan…

He looked up at the sound of a labored wheezing. "Hey, Lieutenant, are you all right?" Guard Rowan asked in concern as Dante stood. A platinum-blonde paladin was making her way bit by bit up the stairs to the Halo of Ceron, aided by her sword point and a concerned Pran.

Another choked cough issued from her throat, her helmet unbalanced from her head. "Aika..." She listed sideways, her hand slipping from her Pran's as she pitched forward.

"She's falling!" Dante burst into a run as a Guardsman caught the falling and choking paladin, her sword clattering to the ground.

"Careful, she's got a Kobra bite," one of the guardsmen was saying as the Theletar hastened over. "Easy does it," Slowly the guards turned the paladin over on her back, carrying her away from the road and to the medical tent set up around the Halo's edge. The reformed thief Hakan followed, armed with a bag full of medical supplies. Dante frowned; the former criminal rarely associated with others so why was he here in the camp when he usually camped on the fringe? Was it a favor to the Theletar?

"Don't you dare hurt my master!" Jexala declared as one of the guardsmen patted her head reassuringly and Dante approached the circle of guards.

"She'll be fine," he said as the Theletar approached with a vial of potion. Caurana was on the ground, her head and back held by Hakan the reformed thief. Dante jogged over, shoving through the cluster of guards.

"She needs air!" Dante pointed out to the startled guards. "All of you, back to your posts! 'Cept you two of course," he pointed to the guard next to Jexala and a guard holding the Theletar's supplies. The guardsmen scattered as the Theletar's hands shimmered with his power. "Jexala, please help Caurana drink the potion," He handed it to the young Pran who nodded, pulling the stopper and bending at her master's side, setting the glass vial to her lips.

"Master, you have to drink this," she pleaded as the paladin turned her head away. The Theletar movements slowly healed the Kobra wound as Caurana moaned. "Master!"

"She has to drink it or the poison will continue to spread," Aerea whispered.

"Tickle her," Dante suggested as the fire pran looked up at him pleadingly. The guards and Hakan looked doubtful at his suggestion but Jex wasted no time in following his advice. As expected a small but choked giggle bubbled from the paladin and Jexala immediately poured half-the potion vial down her throat.

Caurana gasped as Hakan tilted her head back, helping her swallow the liquid. Slowly the color began returning to her skin. "She'll need a short rest," the Thetelar reasoned, standing swiftly. "Jexala what happened?"

"We were traveling back from the Celestine Caverns." the dark-haired fire pran explained. "Most of the monsters stayed away but deadly kobra took us by surprise."

"Hm…Captain Cromwell will not be pleased," the Theletar realized. "Nevertheless, the paladin is strong; she will recover." The men and Jexala breathed sighs of relief.

"In the mean time, let's get her inside the tent,\." the Theletar murmured. The guards willingly picked her up from the shoulders and feet, carrying the slumped form of the 9th company Aitan into the medical tent.

"Does Caurana get injured often?" Dante questioned Jexala softly as the Pran clung to her teddy bear.

"Yes," Jexala whispered. "She's so reckless. We use to work with a rifleman and his pran named Barrett Tam and Kauket but they got transferred when she had to go Regenshein for a break. They got way ahead of us so we were left by ourselves again. We tried other partnerships but those didn't last long. Barrett was the longest,"

Dante frowned. "Where's he from?"

Jexala shrugged. "Don't know. He just needed mission help one day and he tagged along helping us until we were strong enough to help."

"You should ask Cromwell." Dante suggested.

Jexala snorted. "As if _he's_ of any help." the young pran sighed. "Oh well. We have to go back to Cromwell's camp anyway-he's gotten tired of us just wandering around. I suppose we'll have to go back to work."

"Seems such a waste of Caurana's talents, working with him." Dante mused.

Jexala grinned. "I wish we were in your group. But alas, it was not meant to be."

Dante chuckled. "Still you two are welcomed here any time."

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><p>Technically, in-game this happens after my previous Aika fic, but for the sake of story continuity this take place before <em>'A Paladin's Allies'<em>. Plz review. :)

(1) Aitan-are warriors with special skills, holy warriors I suppose trained to fight the dark forces that abound in their land.

(2) Pran: fairy familiars that grow with their master and aid them in battle with one of three type of elements that are found in the sky: fire, air or water.


	2. Assignment

This is something I wrote that actually happened to me in the online MMORPG called Aika. I wrote it as if the game was real.

**Title: A Paladin's Allies**

**Planet of Arcan ruled by the Goddess Aika**

**The Country of Feonir on the Sky Continent of Lakia  
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**Genre: Adventure/Friendship**

**Location: Amarkand**

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><p>The Amarkand Camp<p>

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><p>Caurana, ranked level 20 aitan (1) paladin of Captain Cromwell's 8th unit 9th company sighed in relief as the healing magic of her fellow aitan, the blue-haired cleric Yuha washed over her injured arm. It had been damaged by a violent gunshot wound courtesy of a renegade rifleman. Out of the fifteen or so Aitan in the 9th company of one-hundred soldiers, the silver-haired paladin of the narrow blue-eyed face was the highest ranking next to Captain Cromwell.<p>

"How's that?" Yuha asked, lifting her hands away from the patch of newly healed skin.

"Better, much better," Caurana murmured, running un-gloved hands over the places where her wounds had once been. "Thank you," The paladin was off-duty for the night, dressed in a thick leather version of her usual armour gear, a long dagger tucked into the hidden pocket of her knee-length skirt.

Yuha flashed a grin: her eyes were different colors and she looked down-right scary sometimes but her bark was worse than her bite. "No problem,"

"Move, you stupid pran!" Cromwell's angry bellow rang through the rare peace of the hilltop camp as two young pran (2) voices were drowned out. Yuha and Caurana clamped their mouths shut, exchanging nervous glances.

"Master, there's really no need for shouting," the voice of Cromwell's Pran Halion reprimanded.

"He always screams at people. He's a complete jerk." Jexala, Caurana's Pran grumbled.

Caurana winced but Cromwell only responded with a grunt. "Cleric Yuha," He entered without being invited, sweeping the tent flap aside. Cromwell's Pran Halion, a teenager with long blonde hair peeked in, received a glare from her master and retreated reluctantly. The Cleric dressed in Ysafye armour stood, saluting with her wand.

"Yes, sir? The First Lieutenant is fully healed," she reported.

Cromwell studied the cleric with a critical eye before glancing at the lieutenant. Her armour, shield and sword were laid out on the wooden table to the left wall of the 10 by 10 (foot) tent and due to the lack of her Alfaeia helm, her gaze was unconcealed. However, she seemed to have become an expert at hiding her gaze with her hair. He could see the black-eye though and he glared at Yuha.

"Hmph," he grumbled, stalking towards the paladin, feeling her body wired with tension. "Those damned bastards…" _injuring my most senior officer. Who do they think they are?_ "Scat, you! She's fine,"

"Of course, sir." Yuha saluted, stiffly and strode out. Almost immediately, shouts could be heard from Jexala as Halion tried to calm her down but the young fire Pran was not to be appeased.

"Master, Master, don't let 'im be mean! Hit him!" Jexala exalted as Yuha's Pran struggled to explain to do so would get Caurana in trouble.

"Relax, Jex," Caurana called, standing. "I'm fine,"

Cromwell clapped a hand on her shoulder and shoved her back into her seat, glaring at her. "You are not 'fine,'" he snapped, staring her down. "I sent you to take out Jones because you're the best bloody paladin we have here! What the hell happened out there? If that repulsive Pran of yours hadn't transformed and flown back to get help, you would have bled to death!"

Caurana's gaze turned steely as she matched her captain's gaze. They burned with an anger and fire he hadn't seen in the young aitan's eyes and he swore inwardly, stepping back to give her the space she undoubtly required. Rank or no, some young Aitan caved into pressure and bit off any and everyone's head who angered them. And as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't want that to happen to Caurana. It would look bad and with the way she was going, it be a shame to spoil her good reputation.

"Well?" Cromwell asked after a moment, folding his arms expectantly. "I'm still waiting for an answer, Aitan,"

Caurana stood stiffly, clenching her fists as she contained her own self-frustration. "Sir, Jones is a rifleman class and therefore carries a distinct advantage of long-range attacks. Also he is flanked by members of Club Dread. It is not something I can attempt alone,"

"I thought you had a brain, Aitan!" Cromwell barked sharply, but it didn't make her jump as it use to back in Verband. "Get help! This is war, not a revenge scheme! Why do you think we have companies?"

"It was hard for me to muster help; many of the Aitan here are not use to working with me nor I with them. It would hinder us at best and my closest comrades have been transfered."

"Make new allies. You can gather your own allies whenever you choose Caurana," Cromwell replied. Her eyes widened slightly at the sound of her name: he rarely spoke it, preferring to bellow Aitan, solider, lieutenant or officer at her a great deal of the time. "You know Jones gives us leads to Krauss,"

"I know sir," she replied moving to the tent flap and glancing out but making no further move to leave. "I want to find out what's happened to the Major as well; his pran Kiki is good friends with Jexala. It's getting dark, sir,"

It was a subtle hint: it was getting dark and the torches were being lit as the first watch trotted to their posts. "You plan on killing Jones tomorrow?" Cromwell asked pausing with the flap half-open.

"Yes, sir,"

"Get help, Lieutenant," Cromwell ordered. "That's an order; I don't care if someone's from another company. You're not a green-horn anymore but everyone needs help sometime," He turned on his heel and swept out of the tent without a word, striding past an angry looking Jexala as Halion jumped up to follow him. Caurana watched the Captain go with a calm gaze as the twilight descended on Amarkand.

"He sounded nicer today," Jexala noted, plopping her teddy bear on her head as she pushed her ruby-red sunglasses up on her nose and dusted off her red and white dress. Her long dark hair was tinted with red.

"He's really not that bad," Caurana shrugged as Jexala stared at her master.

"Aika bless me, he's brain-washed you!" the young fire pran shrilled.

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><p>Cromwell was always up at dawn, fully armoured and ready for battle-after Halion forced her breakfast down his throat of course. At least her cooking had improved, making the questionable dishes she served (like Nerine lasagna) taste good.<p>

The teenaged pran was humming as she cleaned the dishes in the wash tub as Cromwell stepped outside. The sun over Amarkand had really struggle to force it's light to reach through the thick cloud cover and the morning watch was reviving itself with coffee. A few Aitan were up and sparring, a few others were still in. Cromwell scanned the hilltop camp briefly; he was never one to enjoy the scenery anyway-and strode rapidly to his usual lookout point, strategically placed so he could see Camp Dread just a mile northwest of them and barely five feet from the abandoned Sabrina Market.

Several Aitan and soldiers saluted as he passed and he nodded briefly in acknowledgment before settling down for his morning stretches. Some ten minutes later, he noticed a lone figure amoung the trees of the hilltop slope heading towards the smithy and supply tents. His eyes narrowed, his hand going to the long dagger at his side before the figure slid out of the trees and headed for Dread Market, a pran close behind.

"Caurana…" he realized as the fast-moving figure of the paladin wove through the tall grasses. He pulled out a spyglass, watching her as a Dreadful Warrior attacked. She cut him down, leaving him injured he noticed and sliced her way through several more attackers before disappearing into the grassy hillside south of their camp, causing a frantic hubbub and a search.

There were screams of panic as a spiral of flame lit someone on fire and Cromwell chuckled as the unfortunate thief rolled on the ground beaten by the clothes of those few who cared as the rest rushed in the direction in which the paladin had disappeared. A few were firing arrows. Cromwell swept the area with his spyglass but was unable to locate the reckless paladin or her pran again. He frowned; there was no other Aitan with her.

"Don't get yourself kill this late in the game, Lieutenant…"

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><p>Caurana jogged steadily through the market, a majority of the Club Dread members lurking behind boxes as they watched her pass but they had seen what she had done to their comrades in the past. They were not stupid. Caurana kept low as she approached the large wooden platform where she knew Mike Jones camped with a few of his Dreadful followers<p>

"There he is, Jex," she murmured, peering over the platform cautiously. "Mike Jones," The rouge rifleman was half-asleep; he was kneeling with his hands and hand balanced on the butt of his gun, the firing end punched into the wood of the deck below.

"You're not going alone, again, are you?" Jexala whispered.

"I've got you don't I?"

"Yeah, but I mean aren't you gonna ask another Aitan to help?" Jexala whispered.

"Don't worry, I called Spadillo with the contact stone," the Karenian paladin explained. "He's en route, let's go,"

"Should we wait?" Jexala protested just as Caurana approached the stairs. She hastily threw up her shield against the blow of a Dreadful Punisher's axe and the blow shuddered through her whole body as she gasped from the impact. She smashed her shield into his face and lunged, her sword blade clashing against the axe. Why did she feel vibrations? The Punisher use his large blade to force hers down and she lunged back, her sword point up for a strike. What was the absurd thudding?

She nearly jumped out of her skin as a warrior's steed came skidded out of nowhere as the ground cracked and buckled sent her flying.

"Ow," she complained backing away as Spadillo, a powerful warrior in red armour made quick work of the Punisher (he was already dead on the ground). His steed and pran waited on the road as Spadillo pounded up the wooden steps, nearly splintered the half-rotted wood as Mike Jones came awake taking aim at the charging warrior. Caurana followed behind at a safe distance, shield up as bullets pinged uselessly off Spadillo's superior armour as his roar shook the air. His blade mercilessly swung down, once. Just once.

Mike Jones crumpled to the ground, his blood staining the wood. The Club Dread members fled immediately and Spadillo glanced around a moment before turning to a stunned Caurana and Jexala. Jexala's eyes were big behind her green-lens pink sunglasses with her mouth open. Her master looked a little more dignified about it, simply staring. Then again he couldn't really see her eyes from under the helm.

"There you go,"

Caurana nodded. "That was impressive. But you could have given us some warning,"

Spadillo grinned under the helmet and shrugged his broad shoulders. "Sorry about that. Hope I didn't get you in trouble with your captain,"

"He told me to ask for help," she assured the warrior. "Thank you,"

"Anytime," he nodded, bounding over to his steed. "I'll see you later," His pran hopped on as the steed charged off in the direction it came, bowling over several Dread members on its way.

Caurana shook her head as she turned to head back. "Warriors…"

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><p>(1) Aitan-are warriors with special skills, holy warriors I suppose trained to fight the dark forces that abound in their land.<p>

(2) Pran: fairy familiars that grow with their master and aid them in battle with one of three type of elements that are found in the sky: fire, air or water.

Halion is a Pran of my invention

**Plz comment. How did you like it? I may post a second chapter...**


	3. Partner

Second and last chapter! This didn't happen in game-just wishful thinking on my part I guess.

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><p>Cromwell, leaned back in his wooden chair, boots up on the table that serve as a desk as he smoothly ran a blade file along the edge of his sword. His pran, Halion, was organizing the reports and writing some of her own at her own small desk. She had learned a long time ago Cromwell hated writing them so it was better she did them herself.<p>

"How was your patrol, Master?" she asked now adjusting her Blue Noblesse Coat.

"Eventful," he said shortly as the thud of a spear butt on the ground sounded outside, the camping equivalent of knocking on the door. "Sir, 2nd Lieutenant Barrett Tam and his Pran Kauket have returned!" a guard called.

"Send him in," he called but the Rifleman had already done so before he even finished the sentence.

"It's been awhile," Cromwell nodded, dropping his legs to the ground as he laid the sword on the table.

Barrett Tam was wearing Attentio armour with a Kepler MK-3 rifle slung over his shoulder, the cap shadowing his eyes and the light copper of his square-jawed face.

"It has,"

"I see you've gotten stronger. How was the desert?"

"Hot."

Cromwell gave him a sharp look as Kauket hid behind her master. "Sorry, sir," Barrett apologized, straightening."The Tabazra Desert was scorching hot and harsh; there were several raids from Alethius while I was there,"

"I see. A very exciting trip. Anything on Krauss?"

"No sir,"

Cromwell sighed, staring into the reflective surface of the blade. "I see…" Barrett fidgeted, dying to ask his question. "What is, officer?" the Captain asked, even though he could guess. He turned the sword on its edge, observing the way the light glinted off its surface.

Barrett cleared his throat nervously. "Sir, I was wondering…what happened to the _first_ 2nd Lieutenant?" He had been promoted shortly after arriving in Amarkand a few weeks before, far ahead of his old partner and comrade. She had been 2nd Lieutenant before him and he had been unable to inquire what happened to her.

"Caurana? She was promoted as well. First Lieutenant," Cromwell replied. "She was in Zant. (1) But she got transferred here a couple weeks after you,"

"Oh."

"But I can't promise she'll be coming back tonight," Cromwell added as Barrett's gaze snapped up.

"What do you mean?"

"He's being cruel," Halion muttered. "He sent Caurana off to kill a rouge rifleman by the name of Mike Jones and he thinks she won't come back,"

"Then why didn't you send back up with her?"

"It's not my fault you didn't wait for her," Cromwell pointed out, lounging in his seat. Barrett opened his mouth furiously just a solider burst through the flap.

"Sir, the 1st Lieutenant Caurana has returned!" the guardsman gasped out as Cromwell jumped over his desk, seizing his sword and sheathing across his back.

"Captains first, Aitan," he told Barrett, clamping a hand on his shoulder as he went ahead. The guard stood to the side respectfully for both Aitan and their Pran as they walked past him into the noonlight of Amarkand. The camp— nestled between two hills, the roadside one shorter than the other—was active as Aitan practiced in the training ring or ate in the mess tent. A few Aitan were on lookout with the guardsman and Bill was hard at work at his forge, sparks flying everywhere as his hammer connected with the hot metal.

Walking to the edge of the hill, anyone could see down to the road and Caurana was jogging back with her sword sheathed at her side as Jexala skipped along happily at just a few steps behind her, chattering eagerly as she waved her teddy bear around.

Barrett skidded down the hillside as Cromwell rolled his eyes; Kauket stayed where she was, not wanting to interrupt the reunion.

"Well, it's good to see her walking back on her own two feet," Cromwell admitted to his pran who smiled at his comment. "Wait, are those Dread?" he pointed at a group stampeding down the road toward the lieutenant. On the hill, Barrett immediately skidded to a halt as his pran rushed to join him, his rifle slung over his shoulder as Caurana, down below, unsheathed her sword, bringing it up to clash with a descending axe blade.

She cut it off at the handle, dropping the blade onto the Punisher's foot and deflected an incoming arrow. Jexala cast her Backdraft fire spell, causing leaping flames to surround several of the enemy as Caurana charged into the fray, shoving the Punisher into a thief. The Punisher was accidentally stabbed and collapsed on his comrades, bleeding out on the ground.

A thunderous crack of a gun rang out and she jumped, thinking Mike Jones had come back to kill her before remembering he was dead. A Dreadful Scout collapsed as a hail of bulletfire suddenly rained down, catching them by surprise. They immediately burst into full retreat, fleeing back to Camp Dread harried by a spray of bullets.

"I guess Rushh came back," Caurana muttered, turning to the direction of the hill. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of a rifleman in a white and brown leather armour with gold plating on the shoulders. "Who's that?" she muttered. Jexala shrugged as the pair of them climbed the hill as the strange rifleman approached them.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she replied. "Who are you?"

"You don't recognize me?"

"I don't think I should," Caurana said shortly, walking past him towards Captain Cromwell. "Mike Jones is dead," she reported as he nodded in satisfaction.

"Good job. Did you get the help you needed?"

"A warrior named Spadillo seemed quite capable of finishing the job without my assistance." she admitted.

"Better than nothing, I suppose. Go get some rest, Caurana. You need it."

Jexala and Caurana stared. "Thank you…?"

"Have you met the rifleman?"

"Not really," she admitted as the rifleman approached.

"I feel offended you know," he sighed, taking off his cap as Caurana turned.

"Barrett?" she breathed in astonishment as Kauket popped up from behind him.

"Hey!" Jexala cheered as Caurana looked Barret up and down He grinned nervously and then the grin was knocked off his face as Caurana hooked her leg around his knee and sent him off-balance, crashing to the ground.

"Augh!"

"That was for leaving," she said, walking away with her nose in the air.

Barrett scrambled to his feet."Oh, come on! Don't I get a hug or something?" he protested, following after her as Cromwell shook his head.

"Kids."

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><p>:D Last chapter posted! \o tell me what you think.

Halion the Pran is off my own invention. Cromwell does not have a pran in game and since he's an Aitan and they're _suppose _to have Pran, I decided to remedy that.

(1) Zant is the Zantorian Citadel, a dungeon early in the game.


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